Condenser for ammonia.



f/$4 M RQQ WITNESSES L. BLOCK.

CONDENSER FOR AMMONIA. APPLICATION HLED 05c. 2. I912.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

LOUIS BLOCK, OF MAMARONECK, NEW YORK.

CONDENSER FOR AMMONIA.

Application filed December 2, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Louis BLOCK, a citizen of the United States. residing at Mamaroneck, in the State of New York, doing business in New York city, in said State, have invented. a certain new and useful. improvement in Condensers for Annnonia, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement is in: the line of what are sometimes known as double pipe eon densers, havin the advantage of flowing water longitlu inally of the several pipes containing the ammonia gas to be condensed. It has been common to put the ammonia through the annular space between the in side and outside tube. I. reverse that condition. I flow the ammonia through the smaller inside tube and flow the water through the annular space between the inside pipe and the outside one. It is common to put the ammonia in at the upper end and the water at the lower end of the double-pipe thus formed. I reverse those conditions.

I have, in an earlier application for a patent, developed adiscovery realizing a great gain in putting the ammonia in at the bottom in the gaseous form and having it mingle w h the liquefied ammonia which is produced as it goes through the condei'xscr,

retaining such liquid and having the proportion of liquid increase from the bottom up ward, flowing out at the top or near the top in the form of completely condensed ammonia. It was based on the discovery that the velocity with which gas enters at the lower end is sullicient by its momentum to force the mixture upward notwithstanding the increasing weight due to the condensation. I find it is practicable to apply the same method to the double pipe condenser. That is one purpose of the present invention.

The following is a description of what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention. The accompanying drawings from a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section. through one of the coils. There may be any required number side by side. I will assume that there are four. They are alike. A description of one will sullice for all. Fig. 2 is a corresponding section of a part on a larger scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

A A", etc, are pipes arranged in the zig- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

. pipes A. etc..

Patented Dec. 26, 1916. Serial No. 734,651.

zag position. joined by proper return bends, constituting. what issometinies termed a. trombone coil. It is not essential that they shall he in this relation, but the trade is amustomed to en'iploying condensers in that form and there is no objection to it. These pipes A A, etc. are a sullicient distance apart to allow for the larger pipe to inelosc each. W etc, are larger and somewhat shorter pipes, applied to inclose the in the manner long known in double pipe condensers. They are somewhat shorter and are joined by ellicicnt return bends allowing a continuous flow of water entering at the top or near the top and traversing along the annular space between the two pipes and back again flowing downward at each return and being delivered at the bottom.

The warm ammonia passes through check valve. (7, header ll and pipes B and enters the inside pipe at the bottom. It flows continuously through the inside pipes A ctc. and first gives up its superheat and. then its latent heat and becomes condensed. The water flows downward through the annular space between the pipes, and the ammonia flows upward through the inner ipe. There is a very perfect application o. the principle of conliter-current heat-exchanging.

The ammonia enters at the bottom and traverses the pipes A A, etc., upward. The first effect is to part with the superheat to the now pretty thoroughly warmed descending water in the space surrounding the inside pipe. As it rises farther the ammonia commences to be condensed and a larger and larger proportion assumes the liquefied form with each traverse. All is retained for a time within the pipes and is made to perform a very important function in the fact of its mingling with the gaseous ammonia and serving as a condensing medium therein. its active agitation carijving it at rapidly succeeding intervals into contact with the metal of the int-losing pipe. Before reaching the top it is all condensed and on or more traverses at the top is entirely devoted to cooling the liquefied ammonia which is being conveyed away through trap D" and pi e D".

Jiquetied ammonia is present in liberal quantities in all the upper pipes and in all the pipes at mid-height of the several coils, but the lower pipes in each coil are not sulficiently supplied with the liquefied ammonia by the condensation which is just eo1nmencing there. I provide for introducing a small quantity of liquefied ammonia controllable at will into the lower part 0? each coil, using for that purpose some of the liquefied ammonia which has been produced a few seconds earlier and is otherwise flowing away. This is done by a pipe D controllable by a valve D It receives ammonia from a point in the pipe D above, which )ipe carries the liquefied ammonia away. his pipe D leads into a header D below, which serves two functions. I will designate it by its least important, though at intervals its most conspicuous function, that of draining when it is required to empty the condenser.

The header D connects with the descending pipe I) and with the liquid ammonia delivery pipe D by a. short connection controlled by a valve D*, which valve stands usually closed. The pipes D each controlled by a valve D, connects the drain header D with low points in the respective trombone coils. The header D is ready to serve when required in draining the coil only when the condenser is idle, it is also ready to serve by permitting liquefied ammonia to flow in sufficient quantities up through the valves D when the condenser is in operation. This point is a critical one. It too much of the ammonia is allowed to descend through the pipe D, and ascend from the drain header through one or all the valves D it will be simply bad economy-Q, simply treating over again the ammonia which had already been sufficiently treated, but if a valve D is opened only just enough it will permit a small flow which will perform an important useful function in 1ningling with the aseous ammonia being re ceived and insuring that the mixed condition which is peculiarly eliicient, obtains as soon as the gas enters the coil.

The above describes good provisions for counter-current heat-exchanging. What I term a parallel flow can be employed instead if preferred. One way to attain such is to introduce the coolingmedium at the lower instead of the upper end of the zigzag coils, entering the annular space between the pipes A A, etc., and W etc., at the lower end, moving upward therein and 7 being discharged at the top. This requires more water but avoids the possible objection that the cooling water in becoming heated may release air and form air pockets, when compelled to move downward in the space between the inside pipe A, etc., and the outside pipe W etc.

Modifications: I can use part of the invention without the whole. I do not limit my, self to putting the ammonia to be condensed in the inner ipe and the water in the annular space etween the inner and outer pipe. The gaseous ammonia may under certain conditions, enter the annular space at the bottom pipe and the water may enter the inner pipe at the top of the condenser, or the water may enter the inner pipe at, the bottom; the object being always to intermingle the gaseous with the liquid ammonia, while traveling along, the pipes either upward or downward. To avoid air pocketing, I employ the well known means of automatic relief valves, or ordinary vents in the return bends.

1 claim my invention l. A double pipe ammonia condenser comprising a plurality of superimposed horizontally arranged double pipes in the form of an ordinary trombone coil, means arranged to bring the gas from a higher level to a low point in the coils. a rheclc valve t'or positively preventing any return flow, a passage arranged for taking away the condensed and cooled ammonia, and means for preventing the discharge of uir condensed gas.

A double pipe condenser in the Form of a plurality of coils side by side, one pipe lying concentrically within the other, a conneetion for introducing gaseous ammonia at a low point in the inner pipe of each coil, so arranged that it will ascend through the convolutions of the pipe, and means for cooling said gas by the influences of colder alter, and u'ieans for causing said water to pass in a counter-current to said gas.

A. double pipe cmulenser in the form of a plurality of coils side by side, pio visions for introducing gaseous ammonia al; the bot om. means For retaining the cond uswil particles as they ascend and means 'lur agitating them during their passage, by l lilll(Tiblllllllkill gas, in combination with a pipe (emanating high and low points url'tlllglffll For leading downward a portion of t e: ionteals of the liquefied gas discharge c and introducing it again at the but it in, and a rontrolling valve and means for o ruling it to determine the quantity thus med.

- do ammonia condenser having doubl tubes arranged one above the other and coir nected at their ends to form a (KilllllllliiHi-I coil, means t'or delivering a gas to the loweriuoat end oi? said coil of inner tubes from a mint above said lowermost end, and means for passing a portion cl said rondensed gas from the upper end of the roll of inner tulrs and means for causing it to entl'r flu loner mid ii said coil ol inner tubes.

5. A double pipe counter current coudenser having superim 'ioscrl tubes, means for introducing gas at the lower end oil Said condenser and means for passing a portiim of the condensed gas from the upper end of said condenser to a point lower i ll) than the lowermost end of said condenser, and means for introducing it with the gas at the lowermost end of said condenser as specified.

6. A double pipe condenser having super-- imposed tubes, means for admitting a gas to the lowermost inner tube, means fordischarging the condensed from the up permost inner tube, and means'for collectmg from said condensed gas non-condensab e ases.

7. a double pipe condenser having superimposed tubes, nieans for admitting a gas to the lowermost tube, and means as a pipe D for carrying the condensed gas to a point lower than the u permost inner tube and for delivering it mm a point higher than the uppermost inner tube.

8. A double pipe condenser having means for delivering a cooling medium into the outer tubes, means for introducing a gas into the inner tubes to be condensed therein, means for delivering said gas from a point high up in said condenser into a reservoir, and a circuitous passage between said con denser and said reservoir to prevent the escape of non-condensed gases from said condenser.

9. A double pipe condenser having superimposed tubes, means for admitting gas to a lower tube, means for passing a portion of the condensed gas from the upper end of said condenser to the luNUI'TTlUSiJ end of said condenser, means for introducing said. comlcnscd gas with the non-condensed gas at the lowermost end of said cmidenser and means as the valve 1)" for draining said condenser, all combined for joint operation as herein specified.

10. A. double pipe condenser having superimposed tubes, means for introducing gas at the lower end of said condenser to be condensed therein, means. for retaining gniiicient quantities of comilensed gas within said ci'imlenser, and means as the check 0 and elevated pipe mnnccted therewith to prevent the passage backsami of any of the condensed gas from the lower end of said condenser.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York this twenty-third day of November A. D. 1912.

LUUIS BLOCK.

Witnesses A. A. BUrrnnMAN, J. NEUBECKEK. 

